Coilable partition with passdoor

ABSTRACT

A coilable partition of the type which is stored within a coil box and movable in translation across a wall opening incorporates a passdoor at the leading end thereof in which the intermediate door stile and the lintel section above the door are coilable.

Unite States Fatet 1 Gerken 1 Feb. 29, 1973 [54] COILABLE PARTITION WITH[56] References Cited PASSDOOR UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,090,424 5/]963Carlo ..160/133 X [75] Inventor: Carl F. Gerken, New Castle, Ind. [73]Assignee: American Standard Inc., New York, K Ben Att0rney-Marechal,Blebel, French & Bugg [57] ABSTRACT [22] Flledz March 8, 1971 A coilablepartition of the type which is stored within [21] Appl' 121,863 a coilbox and movable in translation across a wall opening incorporates apassdoor at the leading end thereof in which the intermediate door stileand the U-S- ection above the door are coilable [51] Int. Cl. .E06b 9/08[58] Field of Search ..l60/ 133, 25 5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures Pmmmrm3. 7 1 7, 1' 94 I l 2o IN VEN TOR CARL F. GERKEN A TTOR/VE Y8 COILABLEPARTITION WITH PASSDOOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In Carlo U.S. Pat.No. 3,090,424 issued May 21, 1963, and assigned to the same assignee asthis invention there is disclosed a passdoor arrangement at the lead endof a coil partition. This passdoor is carried in an opening formedbetween a pair of vertical stiles or jambs and is movable, as a unit,into the interior of the coil box when the partition was retracted.However, since no portion of the passdoor section was, itself, coilablethe retraction of the passdoor within the coil box resulted inthecreation of an unfavorable pull angle between the passdoor section andthe coiling partition itself in the coiled condition of the wall. Whilethe construction of the Carlo patent has been successful and hasuniquely solved the problem of forming a passdoor in a coilingpartition, nevertheless, the rigid door section provides somedifficulties in installations where full automatic retraction isdesired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to animproved passdoor arrangement for a coiling partition in which the firststile and the lintel section above the door are coilable apart from thedoor, thus providing a more compact arrangement requiring less storagearea and providing a good pull angle for complete automatic retractionand extension. This is accomplished by providing a coilable lintelsection above the door and by hinging the door to the lead post stile.Thus, when the partition is retracted into the coil box, the coilablelintel section can follow the curvature of the coil while the passdooritself is extended linearly into the coil box.

The passdoor itself is provided with guide means in the form of avertically movable blade or shoe which, in the lowered position, engagesthe floor track and serves as a latch. The shoe further provides forlinear guided movement of the door within the coil box concurrently withthe coiling movement of the intermediate stile and the lintel or headsection.

An important object of the invention is the provision of an improvedpassdoor arrangement for a coiling partition in which the intermediatestile and the lintel section above the door are coilable.

Another object of the invention is the provision, in a coilingpartition, of a passdoor in which the door itself is guided for linearmovement within the coil box while the lintel section above the doorcoils onto the roll.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom the following description, the accompanying drawings and theappended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevational view of acoiling partition incorporating a passdoor constructed according to thisinvention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary transverse section taken generally along theline 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged broke-away section through the lintel section ofthe door taken generally along the line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section through the passdoor takengenerally along the line 4--4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic plan view showing a typical coil box and trackarrangement for this invention;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged vertical section through the sub-track within thecoil box taken generally along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 but showing the manner in which thepassdoor is received within the coil box.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring first to FIG. 1, there isillustrated a coilable partition 10 consisting of a longitudinal seriesof vertically arranged and interconnected coilable slats 12 extendingbetween a fixed head section or slotted track (not shown) positionedgenerally at a ceiling line 13 and a floor slot or track (not shown inFIG. 1) positioned generally flush with a floor reference line 14. Thepartition 10 and the interconnected arrangement of the individual slatsmay be constructed according to the teachings of Carlo U.S. Pat. Nos.3,090,424, 3,090,425 and 3,090,426. Such partitions commonly areprovided with a flexible guide and support tape or band 15 at the topthereof riveted or suitably connected to the individual slats l2 andprovided with a longitudinal series of trolley rollers (not shown)received within the track at the head section. The partition is furtherprovided with a continuous bottom band tape 18 which is received withina suitable slot formed within the floor track. The assembly of slats isretained by a series of internal cables 20, and the extended movementthereof is affected by an upper cable 22 received in the head tracksection and a lower cable 23 received in the lower track section. Thecables 22 and 23 are wound upon a suitable drive and take-up drumcarried within the coil box.

The present invention is directed to improvements in an integratedpassdoor section illustrated generally at 30 in FIG. 1 at the leadingend of the partition 10. The passdoor section of this invention includesan intermediate coilable vertical stile 32 (FIGS. 1, 3 and 4). Thevertical stile 32 may consist of the same material as that of the slats12, and for the purpose of illustration, it is shown as being made ofwood. The vertical stile 32 thus is connected to the end of thepartition 12, and is also attached, in the manner of the slats 12, tothe upper tape 15 and the lower tape 18.

The passdoor section further includes a second vertical stile whichcomprises a lead stile 34. The lead stile 34 is spaced longitudinallyfrom the intermediate stile 32 and similarly extends between the headsection and the floor slot and, with the integrated passdoor of thisinvention, if fact defines the lead post for the coiling partition. Forthis purpose, the lead stile 34 may have formed, on its exposed end, avertical nose or bumper 35 of vinyl covered elastomeric material.

The upper portions of the stiles 32 and 34 are joined by a coilable doorlintel section 36 comprising a series of vertical coilable slats 36awhich are formed similarly to the slats 12. The slats 36a extendlongitudinally between the stiles 32 and 34 and are joined underlongitudinal compression by two of the cables 20. The coilable slats 36aextend only partially vertically with respect to the stiles and define,with the stiles, a passdoor opening 37. The lower ends of theintermediate slats 36a are tied to the stiles by a flexible internalconnector shown at 38.

An essentially rigid and non-coilable passdoor 40 is received beneaththe lintel section 36 and between the stiles 32 and 34 in the opening37, and is hinged to the lead stile 34. The passdoor 40, for the sake ofappearance, may be formed with an outer covering 42 (FIG. 4) which isvertically grooved to match the exterior appearance of the slats 12 and36. The door 40 is preferably mounted on double swinging hinges 42 sothat it may be swung through the opening in either direction. Singlepivot hinges may also be used, in which case it is necessary to considerthe direction of coiling within the coil box, as will be describedbelow.

The door 40 includes floor guide means consisting of a verticallymovable blade or guide 45 laterally adjacent the intermediate stile 32(FIG. 1). The guide 45 is movable vertically between a raised positionin which it is above the line 14 and clear of the floor track and alowered position as shown in full line in FIG. 1 in which the end of theguide 45 extends slightly below the lower edge of the tape 18. The doormay be provided with a manual operator 46 by means of which the guide 45may be raised or lowered. When lowered, the guide 45 is engaged with thefloor slot and thus provides a latch for the door. It further providesmeans for guiding the door itself linearly within the coil box while thepartition and the lintel section is being coiled.

The lower ends of the stiles 32 and 34 are connected by a flexible strap50 which, in effect, forms a linear continuation of the tape 18. Thestrap 50 is formed with an essentially rigid laterally offset sectionillustrated at 52 in FIG. 2. The lateral offset section 52 is positionedadjacent the guide 45 and assures that the guide is always lowered onthe same side of the strap 50.

Often, in installations of coiling partitions, it is desirable toinstall the floor and head section tracks along a curved path so thatthe partition is caused to negotiate curves and bends within the room.This may be both a decorative and a functional requirement, and isfrequently one of the advantages of specifying a coiling partition. Theguide means 45 assures that Lhe door 40 tracks with the partition andthe coiling lintel section 36 as the partition progresses around suchcurves. However, since the door 40 is essentially rigid it tends tobridge the curves, or form a cord line across the curves, while thelintel section and the attached stiles follow the curvature. In thiscondition, i.e., while negotiating a curve, the lateral spacing betweenthe vertical stiles 32 is somewhat diminished. Provision is accordinglymade to accommodate such linear dimensional changes by providing aresilient or soft vertical jamb 55 (FIG. 4) for the free edge of thedoor 40. As shown in FIG. 4, the jamb 55 consists of a core 56 ofresilient material and a vinyl covering 58. The jamb 55 is thusconstructed to accommodate, by compression and deformation, changes inthe lateral spacing between the stiles 32 and 34 which occurs whennegotiation a curve.

A typical coil box is illustrated at 60 in FIGS. and 6. The box containsthe vertical shaft or spool 62 onto which the partition is wound as aseries of convolutions. The partition is not shown in FIG. 5 in theinterests of clarity. A typical floor track is shown at 65 whichterminates just inwardly of the entrance of the coil box at 66 adjacenta guide roller 67. Means for guiding the passdoor 40 for linear movementconcurrent with the coiling movement of the header or lintel sectionsconsists of a subtrack illustrated generally at 70 and shown in sectionin FIG. 6. The sub-track 70 is positioned vertically below the level ofthe principle track 65 and is provided with guiding flanges 72 whichengage only the blade or guide 45. Thus, when the partition is coiledinto the coil box as illustrated at FIG. 7, the passdoor 40 is guidedlinearly into the box by the sub-track 70.

In the coiled condition, as shown, the intermediate stile 32 and thelintel section 36 consisting of the slats 36a are shown as beingpartially wrapped on the coil. A negligible pull angle is formed betweenthe slats 36a and the lead stile 34 so that the automatic retractionsystem can retract the partition and the associated passdoor fully intothe coil box 60. Similarly, when it is desired to extend the partition,the automatic extension system provides an extension pull on the cables22 and 23, which will extract the passdoor section by an unwinding ofthe coiled slats and by a reverse linear movement of the passdoor 40into the principle floor track section 65.

The offset section 52 is related to the guide 45 in such a manner thatthe offset is always on the side of the partition facing the coil withinthe coil box 60, to assure that the guide 45 can carry the door 40linearly on the subtrack section 70. The relative movement of the door40 with respect to the lintel section 36 is illustrated by the arrow 75in FIG. 2. Accordingly, if it is desired to have the door open one wayonly, it is necessary that the door also open in direction of the arrow75.

It is accordingly seen that this invention provides a passdoor in whichthe lintel section and the intermediate stile are coilable, thusretaining an acceptably low pull angle between it and the lead post 34.The arrangement is accordingly one which requires a minimum of storagespace within the coil box and which permits fully automatic operationbetween the extended and the retracted conditions.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferredembodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the inventionis not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes maybe made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a coilable partition including a longitudinal series of verticalcoilable slats guided for transverse movement into and out of a coil boxalong a fixed head section at the top and a floor slot at the bottomthereof, the improvement in a integrated passdoor at the leading end ofsuch partition comprising an intermediate vertical stile connected tothe leading edge of said partition and extending between said headsection and said floor slot, a lead vertical stile spaced longitudinallyfrom said intermediate stile and defining a read post for saidpartition, a series of vertical coilable slats extending longitudinallybetween said stiles along said head section and extending only partiallyvertically forming a door lintel, and an essentially rigid andnon-coilable passdoor received beneath said lintel between said stilesand hinged to said lead stile providing for coiling movement of saidintermediate stile and lintel in said coil box accompanied by linearmovement of said door within said box.

2. The coiling wall of claim 1 further comprising floor guide means insaid door mounted for vertical movement into and out of engagement withsaid floor slot, and operator means in said door for selectively raisingand lowering said guide means.

3. In a coilable partition adapted to move between curved ceiling andfloor tracks and storable in a coil box at one end of said tracks, theimprovement in passdoor construction comprising an intermediate stilejoined to one end of said partition and extending vertically betweensaid tracks, a lead stile spaced laterally from said intermediate stileand also extending vertically between said tracks, a coilable headersection extending laterally between said stiles and defining therewith adoor opening, a non-coiling door in said opening, means hinging saiddoor to said lead stile, and guide means on said door extendinglaterally adjacent said intermediate stile and engageable with one ofsaid tracks.

4. The partition of claim 3 further comprising resilient meansvertically interposed between said door and said intermediate stile toaccommodate movement of said partition and header section and dooraround curves in said tracks.

5. The partition of claim 3 further comprising a guide in said coil boxengageable only with said door guide means to provide for linearmovement of said door concurrently with coiling movement of said headersection.

1. In a coilable partition including a longitudinal series of verticalcoilable slats guided for transverse movement into and out of a coil boxalong a fixed head section at the top and a floor slot at the bottomthereof, the improvement in a integrated passdoor at the leading end ofsuch partition comprising an intermediate vertical stile connected tothe leading edge of said partition and extending between said headsection and said floor slot, a lead vertical stile spaced longitudinallyfrom said intermediate stile and defining a lead post for saidpartition, a series of vertical coilable slats extending longitudinallybetween said stiles along said head section and extending only partiallyvertically forming a door lintel, and an essentially rigid andnon-coilable passdoor received beneath said lintel between said stilesand hinged to said lead stile providing for coiling movement of saidintermediate stile and lintel in said coil box accompanied by linearmovement of said door within said box.
 1. In a coilable partitionincluding a longitudinal series of vertical coilable slats guided fortransverse movement into and out of a coil box along a fixed headsection at the top and a floor slot at the bottom thereof, theimprovement in a integrated passdoor at the leading end of suchpartition comprising an intermediate vertical stile connected to theleading edge of said partition and extending between said head sectionand said floor slot, a lead vertical stile spaced longitudinally fromsaid intermediate stile and defining a lead post for said partition, aseries of vertical coilable slats extending longitudinally between saidstiles along said head section and extending only partially verticallyforming a door lintel, and an essentially rigid and non-coilablepassdoor received beneath said lintel between said stiles and hinged tosaid lead stile providing for coiling movement of said intermediatestile and lintel in said coil box accompanied by linear movement of saiddoor within said box.
 2. The coiling wall of claim 1 further comprisingfloor guide means in said door mounted for vertical movement into andout of engagement with said floor slot, and operator means in said doorfor selectively raising and lowering said guide means.
 3. In a coilablepartition adapted to move between curved ceiling and floor tracks andstorable in a coil box at one end of said tracks, the improvement inpassdoor construction comprising an intermediate stile joined to one endof said partition and extending vertically between said tracks, a leadstile spaced laterally from said intermediate stile and also extendingvertically between said tracks, a coilable header section extendinglaterally between said stiles and defining therewith a door opening, anon-coiling door in said opening, means hinging said door to said leadstile, and guide means on said door extending laterally adjacent saidintermediate stile and engageable with one of said tracks.
 4. Thepartition of claim 3 further comprising resilient means verticallyinterposed between said door and said intermediate stile to accommodatemovement of said partition and header section and door around curves insaid tracks.